Mason Jar DIY

(This post contains affiliate links. This is no cost to you, and can even save you money! In no way does any affiliate relationship affect my views on the products, my opinions are all mine!)

I recently moved in with my boyfriend, who owns a beautiful old farmhouse. Barn included! Since it is older, It needs some fixing up, which I think is one of the best parts of the house! This allows us to make it our own! And believe me, I’ve started doing just that! But since we are in our 20’s and have a house, we don’t have a ton of money. So what I like to do is a lot of DIY stuff. This helps me be cheap, and also get creative!

Since he has been living by himself, you can imagine there is a lack of decor. It definitely looked like a “bachelor pad”. Only 2 rooms in the house were done, the living room and bedroom! That’s where I come in! I love the country, rustic theme (so does my boyfriend), so I decided to paint and distress some Mason jars. It’s really simple and cheap to do, but it looks like it took a lot of effort! The “Folk Art” brand has a ton of colors too, so they will have what you’re looking for!

If you’d like to do this yourself, you’ll need the following:

Mason jars (I got mine here in bulk because I used them in other places around the house!)

Chalk paint (I bought them on Amazon because they are cheaper than in store. Hobby Lobby had them for around $8-$10)

Sand paper/nail file (you will have rougher options with the sand paper, so it is personal preference!)

Paintbrush/sponge

If you’re using a used Mason jar, make sure to clean it before you start painting. Mine were new so I didn’t have to. If you use a sponge, I found that the opacity of the paint isn’t as dark. Because of this, I am using a paintbrush. I would also suggest putting down paper towels or newspaper so you don’t make a mess on the surface you’re using. It’s not a really messy craft, but I somehow always get paint everywhere!

To start, paint 1 full coat on the mason jar. Let this completely dry before you paint the next coat. If paint a second coat before it’s dry, the paintbrush will drag the wet paint. This isn’t very pretty, and hard to fix! Once your first coat is completely dry, you can paint your second coat. (Picture to the right has 1 coat)
–Tip:When you paint your next coat(s), try to paint down in one swipe,. I found that when you go over the same area several times it picks up the other layers of paint and messes it up. Resist the urge to go over the same spot several times in a row. Remember you can go back after it dries!!

Now I like my mason jar to be completely opaque, but you can paint as little or as many coats as you need to in order to get your desired look. I find that 2 coats gives me the look I want, and I can touch up any areas that I can still see through. I would suggest letting this dry overnight. Then you know it is completely dry before you start sanding down the paint.

When the paint is completely dry, you can start sanding! Now, this part is really up to you. This part gets dusty, so don’t wear clothes you’re planning on wearing out to a nice dinner! 🙂 I chose to do the “high points” first. By this I mean the lettering and designs. These are easy because they are sticking up off the jar and you’re only going to get those points. When you are sanding the flat part of the jar, be careful that your sand paper is ONLY on the part you want to sand. Otherwise, it will sand everywhere it’s touching. After that, I will take a look at it an decide where else I want to sand down.

Last, I add the ring, without the cap. You can use the cap too, or neither one, it’s your choice! I’m using this for our toothbrushes in the bathroom, and I liked the look better with the ring.

And that’s it! Like I said, it’s really simple and cheap to do. Especially if you like crafts, this is a really quick and easy to do. 🙂

I love using mason jars for so many things. It seems like, every time I get ready for canning, I have to buy some more, because I used them for projects! Thank you for sharing this simple project. I will be pinning it for later!